The Washington Post Christopher Columbus had been in the New World only a few days when he watched from the deck of his flagship as a native paddled toward him in a canoe laden with “some dried leaves, which…
Posted: 13 September 2019 [02:29 PM] Columns
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Posted: 13 September 2019 [02:29 PM] Recent Headlines
Thursday 09/12/2019
Posted: 12 September 2019 [01:48 PM] Special To The Washington Post In 2017, the “Vineyard Wind 1” project off the coast of Massachusetts was submitted for federal approval to become the nation’s first major offshore wind project. Its 84 turbines could replace an estimated 1.6 million…
Posted: 12 September 2019 [01:47 PM] Bloomberg Opinion Before calling it quits Tuesday with his national security adviser, John Bolton, President Donald Trump reportedly spent months phoning Bolton’s predecessor, H.R. McMaster, seeking advice. During those calls, NBC News noted, Trump told McMaster “that he missed him.”…
Wednesday 09/11/2019
Posted: 11 September 2019 [02:36 PM] The Washington Post CNN spent a good chunk of Monday touting its exclusive story by chief national security correspondent Jim Sciutto: that the United States in 2017 had pulled out “one of its highest-level covert sources inside the Russian government.”…
Posted: 11 September 2019 [02:36 PM] Bloomberg Opinion Not so long ago, the economy was President Donald Trump’s greatest strength. Now it is becoming his greatest liability. At the end of spring, the data were mostly strong but with some ominous signs for the president: A…
Tuesday 09/10/2019
Posted: 10 September 2019 [02:03 PM] Special To The Washington Post That CNN aired a seven-hour town hall last week on the climate crisis with 10 Democratic presidential candidates is a measure of the stunning sea change in the politics of climate change. In 2016, the…
Posted: 10 September 2019 [02:02 PM] The Washington Post Democrats know they have a winning issue. When the entire country is convulsed by back-to-back massacres in Dayton, Ohio, and El Paso, and 90 percent or so of Americans favor an array of gun measures, they have…
Posted: 10 September 2019 [01:55 PM] Granddaddy’s Secrets Dear Granddaddy, why have boys fallen behind girls in U.S. education? Macey. Well, Macey, I remember when I graduated from the University of Hartford in 1995. I was shocked by how outnumbered I was by the females. I…
Monday 09/09/2019
Posted: 09 September 2019 [08:28 PM] By Noah Feldman Bloomberg Opinion It’s great news that the North Carolina Supreme Court struck down partisan gerrymandering under its state constitution. The ability of states to read their own constitutions differently from the federal constitution is part of what…
Posted: 09 September 2019 [08:26 PM] By Rachel Chrastil Special To The Washington Post In the 21st century, millions of women around the world will reach the age of 45 without having given birth. Some will experience infertility, others will choose childlessness early in life, and…
Sunday 09/08/2019
Posted: 08 September 2019 [08:49 PM] The Washington Post It’s back-to-school time. Hoorah! Or perhaps not . . . It’s a tough few days. As one of my friends says, it’s like playing Time Tetris. Parents are asked to think about all kinds of things: What’s…
Posted: 08 September 2019 [08:48 PM] The Washington Post Arthur Brooks writes a compelling column for The Washington Post identifying the prevalence of conspiracy thinking in our politics, in particular “the propagation of conspiracy theories by elites themselves.” Now, while populism exists on the right…
Friday 09/06/2019
Posted: 06 September 2019 [02:33 PM] Mayor’s column I hope you enjoyed your summer! By the time you read this, students in the Consolidated School District of New Britain will be heading back to school for the start of new adventures. In my role as Mayor,…
Posted: 06 September 2019 [02:31 PM] Special to The Washington Post What's your backup plan for when your backup plan is underwater? That's the question we're facing as Hurricane Dorian makes its way up the Eastern Seaboard. In its path are a string of military…
Posted: 06 September 2019 [02:29 PM] Special To The Washington Post We are living through the most disruptive era since the Industrial Revolution. From lifesaving discoveries to green technologies to better ways to stay connected, the new economy's gains have been enormous. But, for too many…
Thursday 09/05/2019
Posted: 05 September 2019 [01:56 PM] Special To The Washington Post A mysterious lung illness that appears to be associated with vaping has swept across the country over the past few months, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most of the victims are…
Posted: 05 September 2019 [01:55 PM] The Washington Post Another slaughter in Texas, this time in Odessa, four hours east of El Paso, where 22 people lost their lives just four weeks prior. Together, the two death tolls contributed to an overall count of 53 killed…
Wednesday 09/04/2019
SECOND LOOK: SHS football dynasty isn't complete yet Posted: 04 September 2019 [08:10 PM] Here’s the scenario at the Southington High football program as the team prepares for its opener Sept. 13, and then a trip…
Posted: 04 September 2019 [02:23 PM] The Washington Post Former defense secretary James Mattis, out promoting his book, has deflected question after question about whether he considers President Trump crazy (or, in the parlance of cable TV, “unfit”). He will not say it flat out, but…
Posted: 04 September 2019 [02:22 PM] The Washington Post On the list of President Donald Trump’s alleged political sins, wrongly crediting a GOP ally for getting him to declare a prehurricane federal emergency in North Carolina doesn’t rank particularly high. But this is a remarkably…
Posted: 04 September 2019 [02:13 PM] Granddaddy’s Secrets Dear Granddaddy, what can I do to make studying more fun? Troy. Troy, I think all of us struggle some with studying at least time to time. I’m sure that every one of us can think of more…
Monday 09/02/2019
New Britain police blotter Posted: 02 September 2019 [08:14 PM] New Britain police report the following: Wojciech Bielawski, 42, of 258 Booth St., New Britain, was charged on August 10 with disorderly…
Posted: 02 September 2019 [07:34 PM] Bloomberg Opinion Given a sad history of exploitation by foreigners, the young democracy of Timor-Leste can hardly be blamed for being hell-bent on self-sufficiency. But its current drive to cement its independence risks squandering the faltering progress the country has…
Friday 08/30/2019
Posted: 30 August 2019 [01:59 PM] The Washington Post Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. was hit with the “likability” and “electability” meme when she began her presidential race. Now, about eight months later, she’s soared into essentially a second-place tie with Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and her…
Posted: 30 August 2019 [01:59 PM] Special To The Washington Post The recent news that Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg underwent treatment for a tumor on her pancreas sent waves of fear down the spines of Democrats. And for good reason: If Ginsburg’s seat were to…
Wednesday 08/28/2019
Posted: 28 August 2019 [02:18 PM] The Washington Post Former vice president Joe Biden’s latest ad perfectly encapsulates his campaign. This is Biden’s strength - his ability to bear his own soul in a way that offers to let others do the same and seek consolation…
Posted: 28 August 2019 [02:17 PM] The Washington Post As most everyone knows by now, economists are increasingly worried that not just the United States but the world might be heading toward a recession. It’s going to happen sooner or later; the Great Recession bottomed…
Thursday 08/22/2019
Posted: 22 August 2019 [05:12 PM] Special To The Washington Post Three men convicted last fall in an NCAA basketball recruiting scandal just filed their appeal in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit. They say that federal prosecutors improperly turned violations of…
Posted: 22 August 2019 [05:11 PM] The Washington Post We live in an era of declining faith in elected leaders, declining faith in the institutions of the West, declining faith in democracy itself. In the United States, the world’s most important democracy, Congress seems permanently deadlocked,…
Sunday 08/18/2019
Posted: 18 August 2019 [08:18 PM] By Jonathan Zimmerman The Washington Post You know who you are. You condemn President Donald Trump for mocking large groups of people, then you mock anyone who voted for him. You revile him for trafficking in conspiracy theories, then…
Posted: 18 August 2019 [08:04 PM] The Washington Post The Washington Post reports, “Caught between the opposing views of President Trump and Democratic leaders, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reversed himself on Thursday and decided to prohibit Reps. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., from…
Friday 08/16/2019
Posted: 16 August 2019 [06:26 PM] The Washington Post Former Colorado governor John Hickenlooper is getting out of the presidential race. His exit video was classy and responsible. Judging from the video’s tone and production value, I’d put good money on him running for Senate in…
Posted: 16 August 2019 [06:25 PM] Special To The Washington Post Songs aid memorization. When I was in fourth grade in Indiana in the 1970s, our music teacher, Miss Burke, taught us to sing “Fifty Nifty United States.” Like everyone else in my class,…
Tuesday 08/06/2019
Posted: 06 August 2019 [07:57 PM] Dear Granddaddy, why do we need to grow up? Nancy-teen. Wow! That’s a very good question, Nancy. It sounds like you don’t really want to grow up. And I can’t blame you because sometimes I don’t really want to either.…
Tuesday 07/23/2019
Posted: 23 July 2019 [07:53 PM] Dear Granddaddy, what is the best advice, you as an adult, can give me a teenager? -Alex Well, Alex, a wise old man once told me this valuable piece of advice that I’m now going to pass on to you.…
Friday 07/19/2019
Posted: 19 July 2019 [07:13 PM] The Washington Post Many Americans are mourning John Paul Stevens, the retired Supreme Court justice who died Tuesday at age 99, as the liberal lion who stood for gay rights, campaign-finance reform and government power to regulate gun ownership. All…
Posted: 19 July 2019 [07:12 PM] Special to the Washington Post After an unconscionable five-year wait, the Justice Department announced Tuesday that it would not bring any criminal charges in connection with the death of Eric Garner. Yet again, we have another failure to pursue a…
Tuesday 07/16/2019
Posted: 16 July 2019 [06:54 PM] Dear Granddaddy, what happens to ungrateful children when they become adults? Linda-mother of an ungrateful child. Well, Linda, we know that this big world can be unforgiving. We also know how good our kids have it under our roofs. However,…
Friday 07/12/2019
Posted: 12 July 2019 [08:44 PM] The Washington Post The tension between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and several high-profile freshman lawmakers has been building arguably since before their elections, and it seems to be cresting. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s, D-N.Y., comments this week to The Washington…
Posted: 12 July 2019 [08:43 PM] Bloomberg Opinion You can identify companies’ sore spots by what gets them angry. Last week, the executive in charge of Amazon.com’s logistics operation tweeted a rebuttal to a television show. Comedian John Oliver had devoted one of his trademark…
Wednesday 07/03/2019
Posted: 03 July 2019 [03:19 PM] Bloomberg President Donald Trump, who seems obsessed with undoing his predecessor’s legacy, is in danger of repeating Barack Obama’s fundamental mistake on Iran: Making the confrontation with the Islamic Republic almost exclusively about nuclear weapons. In recent weeks, Trump has…
Posted: 03 July 2019 [03:18 PM] Special to The Washington Post President Donald Trump has decided that the Fourth of July belongs to him. In February, he announced on Twitter that he was rebranding the day as a “Salute to America” that would feature “an address…
Sunday 06/30/2019
Posted: 30 June 2019 [08:54 PM] New Britain mayor Summer has only just begun but it’s already been a busy one in New Britain! At last count, there were more than a half dozen major construction projects underway or about to begin, including our annual…
Posted: 30 June 2019 [08:50 PM] Bloomberg Opinion Reporters and editors at mainstream media outlets should be on their best behavior these days, after years of accusations of “fake news.” But there’s a type of misleading reporting that many are finding hard to avoid: the creation…
Posted: 30 June 2019 [08:46 PM] By Erica Racz Special To The Washington Post Editor’s note: As told to Washington Post editor Sophia Nguyen. I woke up early on Jan. 8, the very first day that I was eligible to vote again in Florida. I arrived…
Friday 06/28/2019
Posted: 28 June 2019 [02:46 PM] The Washington Post Of all the dynamics at play in the Supreme Court’s just-concluded term, none was more intriguing than this latest chapter in the story of Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh. Graduates of the same high school, members…
Posted: 28 June 2019 [02:44 PM] The Washington Post In the first Democratic debate Wednesday night, one telling moment came when the 10 presidential candidates onstage were asked what they’d do if Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., is still majority leader in 2021 and stands ready to…
Wednesday 06/26/2019
Second Look Part II: Your questions and my answers Posted: 26 June 2019 [08:01 PM] Art Secondo Southington Chamber of Commerce Q. Why is Center Street a one-way road? A. Back in 2000 when downtown renovation was…
Tuesday 06/25/2019
Posted: 25 June 2019 [06:40 PM] Dear Granddaddy, what do teenagers wish their parents knew? Coran- A Dad. Well, Coran, I’d start with telling you what I’ve told thousands of parents over the last two decades. Your children won’t tell you, but they really do want…
Posted: 25 June 2019 [02:53 PM] Bloomberg Opinion Way back in 1979, the evolutionary biologist Stephen Jay Gould made a case that cuteness is not an arbitrary notion, but a measurable trait that can make people feel protective and nurturing. Scientists have since measured the trait…